The Dutch forward felt the Gunners were weak at the back and made suggestions to his manager that were ignored
Robin van Persie has revealed he called on Arsene Wenger to bring defender Giorgio Chiellini to Arsenal as he felt the club “lacked a winning mentality.”
The Dutchman, who spent eight years at the Gunners but failed to secure Premier League glory with the club, was convinced Arsenal lacked the defensive resolve to compete at the top end of the table.
He felt Chiellini would have transformed the club and pleaded with urged Wenger to make the deal, but the Italian never arrived in north London and is now in his 15th year at Juventus.
“At a given moment I felt called upon to say what Arsenal could do better in order to win the league,” he said in an interview on Kaj Gorgels’ YouTube channel.
“I felt we lacked a winning mentality, and asked Arsene Wenger to sign Giorgio Chiellini.”
Chiellini is an old-fashioned, rugged defender and Van Persie feels those characteristics were what Arsenal required.
“I have played against him a few times, and he is a genuine winner,” Van Persie said. “You could see that when he played against Holland a few weeks ago.
“He is 36 years old, but he’ll dish out nine elbows every game with a smile on his face. He’ll keep smiling and never get a yellow card.
“You need those types of winners and killers in your side. I felt we should get him.”
Van Persie claims he put forward other names to Wenger to improve Arsenal’s defensive resolve, but was left frustrated and admits his move to Manchester United in 2012 was to win titles – which he did in 2013.
“I came up with suggestions and names on the basis of my own experience,” he added. “We were very good up front, and scored lots of goals. But your goalkeeper and your defence are the basis of your team.
“To my mind ours were not at the level needed to truly compete for the title.”
Commenting on his move to Old Trafford, Van Persie said: “My departure from Arsenal to Manchester United is still a sensitive topic in England.
“I wanted to win, I just wanted to win. And I had to take a risk for that.”
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